A Certain Memorable Surprise Party
by MisakiShishido
Summary: COMPLETE So April's just around the corner and to Misaki, the second day of April couldn't be important enough. Her best friend, Aki's, birthday is on that day. As someone important in Misaki's life, what will she do for her? What will she give her?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: So April's just around the corner and to Misaki, the second day of April couldn't be important enough. Her best friend, Aki's, birthday is on that day. As someone important in Misaki's life, what will she do for her? What will she give her?

P.S.: This is dedicated entirely to fanfiction author, UchihaSesshoumaru, as a birthday present. As for a disclaimer, I own all the characters used in here! HAH! ... Well, not all but Misaki Shishido is definitely mine and Makoto Kikuchi and Ritsu Tainaka for expression aren't... and Aki Kushiro is UchihaSesshoumaru's character. Lea Kisaragi is sephisoverlord's character, so credits to him. :) Anyways, enough of disclaimers, on to the story!

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**A Certain Memorable Surprise Party**

**#1: Prelude**

"Second of April… huh…"

Misaki Shishido. A redhead girl who has hair resembling Makoto Kikuchi from 765PRO who is an idol, with dark red orbs and has a similar attitude as Ritsu Tainaka, a somewhat famous drummer of a band called Houkago Tea Time, was seen lying on her desk, with her arms crossed to support her head, at class. A confused look was apparent on her face as she tilted her head to the right and sighed.

Out of the blue, a brunette with green contacts, whose name is Lea Kisaragi, appeared right beside her, casting a shadow over her and Misaki tilted her head to look at her face that was grinning like a pervert.

"Hey ya Misa-chuan~! What's with the weird face eh?" She crouches down a bit and starts poking Misaki's cheek.

The redhead disregarded it and sighed before replying, "It's almost April…"

The brunette was confused and stopped poking Misaki's cheek, "Yeah so? April's a good month.''

"That's not the issue here, Lea-chan…!" She sat up straight and looked at Lea straight into the eyes in anxiety, "Aki's birthday is coming up…! And…" She ruffles her hair in annoyance, "And I still don't know what I should get for her! Or do for her…"

Lea makes a perverted and naughty grin, "Write some confession letter and give her a kiss on the lips and have a sweet moment with her~ I'm sure she'll enjoy the pleasure of having you by her side for a night~"

Misaki chokes and starts yelling at Lea with a flustered face after hearing all that, "A-AS IF I WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!"

"… Something like what?" A voice called out from behind the two.

It was Aki Kushiro, a beautiful long-haired brunette with grey-coloured orbs and a pair of glasses over her eyes. She walked over to where they were and pushed her glasses upwards as she looked at Misaki, obviously wanting answers from why she had to yell so loud in which caught everyone's attention for a moment as her loud voice resounded throughout the whole class.

"U-Uh… s-something… like…" Looking at Aki made Misaki imagine all the things Lea said and her mind 'exploded' from all the thoughts going through her mind and staggered to answer her properly.

"Something like running around naked around the school field~" Lea continued grinning but briefly winked at Misaki, "Y'see… I wanted to make a bet with Misa-chuan. If she could get 100 marks in her first semester's final exams, I'll treat her to a year worth of sushi. If she can't, she'll have to run at the school field, naked. Hehehe~"

She made a thumbs up posture to Aki in which the latter just facepalmed briefly, "Huh. I see… I guess idiots talk about idiotic things."

"What did you say…?" Lea was already clenching her fist in fury.

"… Classes are starting soon, you two… it'd be best if you return to your seats…" Misaki turned back towards her desk and just went face flat onto it.

"Now what's wrong with her?" Aki inquired with poise, trying to not show any signs of concern to the other brunette in front of her.

Lea shrugged and shook her head, "Beats me. I guess we should just do what she says, yeah?" She then patted Aki on the shoulder before heading off to her seat, just in time for the school bell chime to ring.

"… Huh." The long-haired brunette looked at Misaki for one last moment before returning to her seat.

During most of the classes following that, Misaki got yelled at by her teachers for daydreaming during class and not answering questions right when being called upon, much to Aki's dismay and suspicions. Lea on the other hand, was grinning all day long.

But in actual reality, Misaki was only thinking of one thing.

What to give Aki for her birthday.

Someone who made a huge impact in her life.

She just wanted to find a way to thank her through her birthday.

"… _There has to be something I could give her… I'm sure… that there is…!"_

_**Chapter 1, END.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Please do check out sephisoverlord's 'Volume Oneshot' which features characters like Misaki, Aki and Lea too!

Disclaimer: Guess I own Misaki? You know what? This disclaimer thing is weird...

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**A Certain Memorable Surprise Party**

**#2: The Idea**

The setting is now at the dorm room that Misaki and Aki both live in.

The redhead was seen lying down on the sofa, tossing a pillow up and down while staring into space. The latter noticed her best friend's sudden weird behavior since school hours and decided to talk to her by sitting on the closest sofa near her.

"Hey Misaki?"

No response and the pillow tossing continued.

"Misaki…"

Still no response.

The long-haired brunette, who was now quite frustrated, stood up and caught the pillow that Misaki tossed back into the air, catching her attention at last. Her figure, hovering over Misaki.

"What is with you? You've been acting weird all day!"

The latter quickly sat up properly and looked at Aki with innocent-looking eyes.

"S-Sorry… a lot's been going through my mind…"

"Now that's rare…" Aki was surprised that Misaki actually thought seriously about things, "So what's been keeping your mind busy?" She sat down beside her.

"… Your birthday." The redhead said softly and looked the other way.

"Oh? And what about it?"

"It's just around the corner… and I don't know what I can get you…"

"… A surprise party would do just fine."

"I beg your pardon?"

"A surprise party. With lots of friends and all that. Something impossible to do in this day and age."

Misaki was shocked that Aki just bluntly gave her the idea of what she wants. And so now, her mind was functioning ever so much better with an outline to work with.

Of course, she didn't expect that.

"A surprise party huh… but why do you say it's impossible to celebrate?" asked Misaki to understand more.

Aki just crossed her arms, "Hmm… it's because gathering people might be a tedious and stressful task. Other things like how the surprise should be arranged and food and activities are other matters that boggle the mind too. Hence, it's impossible."

"Friends… huh… a surprise party does sound fun though…" Misaki looked at her hands with a smile and turned back to Aki, "Alright! I'll make that 'impossible' possible! I'll try my best to prove you wrong!" She grinned.

Aki shrugged and gave Misaki a smirk, "Just try your best then. I'll keep my hopes up."

"Challenge accepted then!" Misaki then ran into her room and closed the door behind her.

The latter sighed and spoke to herself softly, "… Is she serious though…? Well… this is interesting… let's see how she can successfully plan it."

Meanwhile in Misaki's room…

"I have less than a week to make the 'impossible' possible. And so I'll need help… loads of 'em…" She jumps onto her bed and stretches out her hand and looks pass it, only to stare at the empty ceiling above her.

"Just you wait Aki. I'm so going to give you a memorable surprise party! OH~!" she exclaimed and punched the air.

The long-haired brunette heard her exclamation and touched her best friend's room's door softly with a smile, "… I'll be waiting. Good luck… idiot…"

_**Chapter 2, END.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Please do R & R whoever who reads this! Thanks...

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**A Certain Memorable Surprise Party**

**#3: Planning Is All It Needs To Succeed**

The next day immediately after Aki gave Misaki a brief idea on what she wants, the now full of determination redhead went all out in planning everything, with the help of her friends who were also Aki's friends thanks to Misaki's introduction sessions to introduce Aki, making her meet new people, and new friends

And so, Misaki decided to use up most of her recess time to gather helpers and even information if possible, for the surprise party. At the same time, Aki, who Misaki has been constantly avoiding all day, already had the gist of what was going on with her best friend and decided to play by ear and act like she doesn't know anything.

On Misaki's end of everything, she first met up with Surena Taro, a shoulder-length black-haired girl with black eyes that resemble a cat with a fiery, but dishonest, personality. They've both been rivals and good friends for a very long time.

"Surena!" Misaki called out while running towards her.

The latter turned back in surprise as the redhead placed a hand onto Surena's shoulder, trying to get a breather after all that running.

"H-Hey Misaki. What's up with you?" asked the black-haired girl with a wry smile, "It's rare that you would come running to me…"

Misaki stood up straight with the help of Surena's shoulder as a support and quickly regained composure, "I… need your help."

She crossed her arms, "What kind of help do you need?"

"It's Aki… I want to celebrate a surprise party for her," Misaki clasp both of her hands together as a gesture to plead to Surena, "So please… help me out here!"

Surena made a brief cunning smile before answering the desperate Misaki, "Wow. You of all people are begging me to help? I could get use to this," she chuckled, "Sure but… it's definitely not because I'm interested and want to help you or anything, don't get me wrong," she tilted her head the other way and pouted.

Misaki was shot with a beam of happiness, "T-Thank you so much, Surena-chan!" She bowed a few times in gratefulness.

"H-Hmph," she tilted her head back to face Misaki normally, "… So? Any plans in your head?"

"No… I've never had a 'surprise party' before. So…" Misaki scratched the back of her head, "I don't really know how a 'surprise party' should be like…"

"Then you should try discussing with someone who knows about surprise parties, to get a general idea of how one should be like," she winks to comfort Misaki before continuing, "In the meantime, I'll try helping you out on inviting people. Sourcing out Aki's friends could be a hassle but it's worth a shot. So please count on me for this task."

Misaki nodded with a bright smile on her face, "Alright, got'cha!"

"I'll try my very best to get a draft of the name list done by the end of school today. Anyways, see you later!" says Surena before dashing off to her class as the school chime resounded throughout the hallway.

The redhead, now alone, clenched her fist and punched into the air, delighted, and ran off to her classroom, with her next target to look for in mind.

"_Lea-chan...!_"

…

And so, during the next recess…

Misaki got Lea to meet her at an alleyway right behind the school building after class by passing a note to her successfully during class for a short discussion.

"Oh ho~? This does seem like a perfect place and feel to confess…" Lea's eyes brightened, "Could it be… Misa-chan… you're going to-"

The redhead cut her off, stretching out her palm as a gesture to stop Lea, "Don't be ridiculous. It's about-"

The latter cut her off almost immediately as well, "T-Then… are we going to do something naughty here~?"

"No," Misaki answered her bluntly, already clenching her fists in frustration.

"B-But… but this place is a perfect place for lovey dovey activities don'tcha think so~?" Lea smirked naughtily, "… That being said… I know you want to do stuff with me, Misa-chuan~"

_*WHACK!*_

"Cut the nonsense and listen to me, NOW!" Misaki exclaimed after she proceeded to whacking Lea on the head in which she started sobbing and rubbing her head thanks to the pain inflicted. Now the brunette listened to Misaki quietly and attentively.

"Geez…" Misaki sighed, "I just wanna know if you know how to celebrate a surprise party."

Lea put a finger to her chin and made a cute, deep-in-thought gesture, "Lemme see… it's for Aki-chan right?"

The redhead nodded as Lea continued, "Well first of all… you need people~. A party is a huge group kind of event, in usual terms. Y'think Aki has enough friends for a party?"

"Of course! Friends like me… you… and umm…"

The brunette nodded in approval and smiled, "Okay well, you get the general idea of friends… I do hope there'll be more in the list though! After that, you need to make plans for food and beverages, as well as a general idea of what we'll be doing during the party… like activities and how the surprise should turn out on that day," explained Lea like a pro.

Misaki was obviously struggling to keep up with whatever Lea said even though she was noting everything down on a small notepad she had, "A-Alright… anything else I should know…?"

"Hmm… maybe I'll try getting some inside scoop on Aki-chan. If you know even the most private thing about her, I'm sure your surprise party will be hundred percent successful!" guaranteed Lea with a huge grin and a double thumbs up.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea though… I mean… won't that be intruding her privacy…?"

"Just leave it to me!" Lea winked, "I didn't join the photography club for nothing ya know? If I stalk Aki-chan long enough, I'm sure I'll find something beneficial to help out with the planning of the surprise party you're putting your whole heart into!" She grinned playfully.

"S-Stalk her… huh…" Misaki shrugged, "I guess I should just wish you luck…"

"Oh~! Leave the stalking and information gathering to me!"

Suddenly, the chime for the final two periods of classes resounded throughout the campus.

"Guess we should head back to class huh…" said Misaki, already sounding and looking a bit stressed out.

Lea went beside Misaki and placed a hand on her shoulder with a serious look on her face, "Don't worry about it too much," she then broke her serious façade and swapped to a perverted grin, "I'll be with you no matter what, o~kay~?"

"Huh. What a way to spoil a cool-sounding scene. I~diot," Misaki just walked away without a single word after that.

"O-Oi! W-Wait for me, Misa-chuan~!" She chased after Misaki shortly after staying in a brief daze.

"… _Aki… really is rubbing off me… 'Idiot'… that's what she calls me most of the time… what am I, some Aki follower or something? Ugh…_" She thought to herself and rubbed her temples in annoyance.

And so to class, they both went.

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A few hours back…

During the first recess, Aki saw Misaki rushing out of the classroom suspiciously, but didn't proceed to chase after her.

"She's taking it seriously huh…" She rested her cheek on her hand with her arm on the desk for support and looked out the classroom window, where the hallway can clearly be seen. She even saw Misaki rushing off to the classes behind the class they were in, which were of the same form.

"Just for a petty thing like that and now you left me alone? … Idiot…" Now she rests her head on her arm she used to rest her cheek just a moment ago and sighed deeply, "Maybe I should go walk around or some-"

"Kushiro."

Aki quickly sat up properly and looked at the face of the figure who called out to her with such strictness in tone.

"A-Ah. Ryukishiro-senpai… what brings you here?" Aki smiled.

It was Mitsuru Ryukishiro, the school's current student council president.

"Can you help me out with sorting a few documents at the student council room? I've been looking for Kei—I mean, Sugisaki, the whole day but to no avail. So would you mind lending me a hand?" asked Mitsuru politely.

"I would love to. That said, Sugisaki-kun is absent today," Aki filled her senior in.

Mitsuru cupped her chin, "I see. Well, you're trustworthy enough to handle the work. Come with me."

Aki nodded and got up from her seat, "R-Right."

The beautiful senpai and kouhai duo then headed off to the student council room. Once there, Aki proceeded to taking off her coat and hanging it on a chair, rolled up her sleeves and tied up her hair neatly into a ponytail while Mitsuru briefed her on what to do. The long-haired then went off to plunking piles and piles of documents off the rack for arranging.

The same work continued for the next recess. And that's pretty much how she was unconsciously "stalled" by Mitsuru during recess the whole day.

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After school, Misaki got the draft of the namelist Surena promised to hand over right after school without Aki noticing. Then, the best friends headed to the dorm to rest after a whole day of work.

"Y-Yo Aki~! Let's get going!" Misaki waved in front of Aki and even took her bag for her, at the same time, noticing how tired she looked like, "Umm… you look awfully tired…"

"Oh…" Aki yawned, "… I've been busy helping Ryukishiro-senpai with sorting up her documents during recess the whole day…" She stood up and stretched around before continuing, "… It was tiring…"

"I… see…" Misaki ruffled her hair a bit, "D'ya have enough strength to walk to the dorm? I could carry you if you wa—"

Aki retaliated almost immediately, a slight blush forming on her face, "O-Of course I have enough strength, stupid. I'm not that feeble, i~diot."

Misaki pouts and groaned, "I was TRYING to be nice. Also, please stop calling me an idiot! You're making me rub off you!"

Annoyed dark grey orbs met dark red orbs for a brief moment before Aki grabs her bag off a somewhat dazed Misaki and heads towards the classroom's front door, "What are you just standing there for? It's time to go, idiot."

"… Y-You… little…" Misaki's eyes twitched in annoyance but decided to let her off the hook and smiled wryly as Aki's back faced her.

… Well, she kept smiling until something utterly preposterous happened right in front of her eyes.

Lea, as if she was some kind of ninja, was seen zooming around through the pillars holding up the walls of the school at high speed and planted a small webcam onto Aki's shoulder even as she was walking at a fast pace. And no, she was miraculously not detected. As shocked as Misaki is, she just kept quiet and swiftly walked side to side with Aki, while striking up topics to talk about with her on the way back.

_**Chapter 3, END.**_


	4. Chapter 4

The next chapter is finally here! Sorry for the wait! To whoever is reading this, please R&R while you're at it! Thanks!

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**A Certain Memorable Surprise Party**

**#4: The Day Before… **

"So this Saturday's the only day possible huh… 31st of March…that's 2 days before the actual date… tomorrow at that."

"We haven't any other choice. If what Kisaragi says is accurate then Saturday is the only day we have possible to celebrate the surprise party."

"Hmhmm~ My stalking abilities never fail! All my clients always give me a positive feedback~! Aki-chan's a good target actually~! Lots of eye candy… ufufufu~"

Misaki, Surena and Lea were seen having a meeting during the lunch break at the small hut-like place near the canteen. A place Aki would not pop up at. Moments after Lea had finished her sentence, a boy with messy hair with another energetic looking boy who was following behind came.

"Yo Misaki~!"

The boy with messy hair sneezed, "G-Good day to you, S-Shishido and frie—ACHOO!"

Misaki turned to their direction, "Ah! Saionji-kun and Sugisaki-kun! Good afternoon…"

To briefly introduce them, the energetic one is Len Saionji, the best friend of the sick guy named Keiichi Sugisaki, who is the vice student council president who works alongside Mitsuru.

"So? We're here for that meeting of yours. What is it?" Len grinned.

Misaki cupped her chin, "We were discussing about the surprise party. You do know about it right?"

Keiichi coughs, "C-Course we do… Taro-san had already informed us."

Surena smiles and flips open her notebook, "A total of 20 people will be able to attend, which includes all of us here," she then winks at Misaki, "Your estimation was spot on, not that I wanna compliment you."

"That's a great number! Good work, Surena…!" complimented Misaki happily.

"L-Like I said… I—"

Lea raised her hand with a serious face that was obviously acted out, "My turn my turn! Wanna see recordings of Aki?"

Keiichi choked at what Lea suddenly said, "Huuuuuuhhhh?"

Len grinned and swung both arms behind his head, "Woo~! I'm sure you're interested in watching it huh, Kei-chan?" He laughed.

"S-Shut up! I'm not a pervert! ACHOO!"

Len smirks, "Sure sure~ You've got snot running down your nose, my friend."

Keiichi used his handkerchief to wipe away the snot and glared at Len, who was embarrassing him, "I know that…"

"How will you project it to show it to us, Lea-chan?" asked Misaki confused.

Lea stood up, "For this, we'll be heading to the media room. I've already informed the media department and the teacher gave us the green light, so no worries!" Lea gave a thumbs up gesture, "Even if we show something explicit they wouldn't know… ufufufu~"

Surena facepalmed, "… You have weird friends, Misaki."

"A-Ahahaha… please forgive that fact, Surena…"

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Len was already dragging Keiichi off to the media room.

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Meanwhile…

Aki was having lunch boringly at class, all alone once again.

She sighs, "… I feel bored. A little too bored…" She shrugs and leans back to her seat, with chopsticks in her right hand.

"Maybe I should go do something productive after I have my lunch… but what…? Run errands for teacher? Do homework…? Or…" she shook her head, "… No Aki… don't think about that idiot…"

Flashback…

_Back at Aki and Misaki's room at the dorm…_

_They were having their breakfast as usual, done by Aki._

"_Misaki," she called out to the red-head._

"_Yeah?" She poked onto a slice of pancake and lifted the whole piece up to her mouth to eat._

"_Are you… doing anything during the recesses today?"_

_Misaki nodded and looked at Aki innocently, "Yup. I've got a few matters to attend to."_

_Aki clenched her fist and exclaimed at Misaki, to her surprise, "It's been a week, no, close to two weeks since we've been doing anything together! What are you even up to?"_

"_A-Aki…" Misaki put down her fork._

"_If you're doing anything stupid like planning my surprise party, you should just give up on it! Stop doing something impossible and trying to show that you can make it possible!" Aki leaned back onto her seat and crossed her arms._

_Now frustrated grey orbs were glaring at dark red ones, with signs of being alone most of the time. _

_Yes._

_She yelled at Misaki because she had enough of being alone._

_Sure, she had friends but those "friends" were the type to make her tag along and in the end, leaving her out of the conversation, giving her an unwelcomed feeling. So she opted to stay by herself during recesses when Misaki was obviously busy running around._

"… _Stop trying to discourage me. I'm doing all this for you and this is what you say…?" Misaki stood up from her seat, bangs covering her eyes._

_The red head took her coat that she hung behind her seat and her bag as well and stormed off towards their room's front door. There she quickly jumped into her shoes and opened the door._

_Aki went after her but didn't go with her as she wasn't prepared for school yet, "W-Wait. Where are you go—"_

"_School where else. At least I can find some encouragement there. I'll be leaving first. Laters."_

_Misaki, without even looking back at Aki, went through the door and closed it behind her and ran off to school on her own. The long-haired brunette ended up standing near the entrance, dumbfounded and ruffled her bangs._

"_... What have… I just done…? That was an outburst of emotions… and this happened…"_

_Aki smiled sorrowfully at herself, trying to console herself._

"… _Look who's the idiot now… Stupid Aki…"_

Back to the present time…

Aki sighs once again, "Thinking about it… I shouldn't have discouraged her… she's putting all this effort into getting it done right… I'm so selfish…"

"Indeed you are, my cousin."

Out of the blue, there was a boy who had similar features to Aki, was sitting right beside her with his arm on the desk and his face supported by his hand with a smirk.

"A-Akihiko! What in the world are you doing here?" inquired Aki in astonishment.

"I was bored so I decided to hop by to your class to see if you were around. Lo and behold, you are, having lunch on your own at that," he sat up straight, "Weren't you always with that Masaki… no… Mizuki…"

"Misaki."

"Ah right… weren't you always with her during recesses?" Akihiko asked, curious.

Aki shrugged, "Yeah but she's off running around doing other stuff without me. So I'm stuck here all alone."

"I see…" He then thought to himself, "_So that's why she came to me just a moment ago…"_

Flashback…

_Misaki and co. were hurrying to the media room when she stumbled upon Akihiko who was walking through the same hallway as they are._

"_Sorry, I've got to do something for a bit. You guys can start setting up for the preview without me," she informed as she ran off towards Akihiko._

"_O-Oi Misa-chuan?" _

_She managed to catch up with Akihiko and tugged his sleeve to catch his attention._

"_Kushiro-kun…"_

_He looked back, "Oh? It's you… the one who's always hanging out with Aki."_

_Misaki nodded, "Misaki Shishido… my name," she scratched the back of her head, "I… have a small favour to ask of you. You do know about her surprise party right?"_

_Akihiko nodded, "Yes. A girl named Taro came by yesterday I think? She explained everything to me and I agreed to help and attend."_

"_I see… umm… about that… I'm sure Aki's all alone right now at class so… can you go… talk to her or something? Just hang out with her, please…!" Misaki bowed in a formal manner._

"_Whoa whoa… why the formalities…? Sure. It's a meager task to handle. It's nice chatting away with my cousin once a while," Akihiko smiled at Misaki._

_A beam of happiness shot once again at her, "T-Thank you so much! I have to run off to finish my work so… I'll be leaving Aki to you! Bye Kushiro-kun!" Misaki waved to Akhiko as she ran back to the media room._

_Akihiko waved back and smiles, "Interesting girl, she's made friends with."_

Flashback ends.

"… So now you're spacing out too…?" Aki's pouting face was a few inches away from Akihiko's which startled him.

"O-Oh I'm sorry my cousin… I was just thinking about stuff."

Aki went back to eating, "Stuff huh… I hope they aren't weird or perverted…"

Akihiko chuckles, "I wouldn't think about stuff like that. Anyways, let's talk shall we?"

"Guess that's productive enough…"

"It's much better than talking to yourself aloud now don't you think so?"

"S-SHUT UP...!"

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Back to Misaki…

They were at the media room, waiting for Lea to project her "work".

"Alright! The video recordings should start in a few seconds… I'll only show the ones taken yesterday due to time constraint, kay~? Whoever wants the full recording for about 2 weeks, you've gotta pay up~" Lea smirked playfully.

Surena shrugged, "The whole recording must be related to the word 'perverted'…"

And so the recording starts…

_. . . . . . . . . . _

_The first scene taken was when Misaki and Aki were back home._

"_Aki, you go shower first. I'll prepare dinner tonight," Misaki took off her coat and rolled up her sleeves._

_Aki smirked but was actually surprised, "This is unusual… you wouldn't offer to do the cooking if I asked you… so why…"_

_Misaki pouted, "Just go shower already sheesh…" And with that she went to the kitchen._

"_Right, right~," The latter went to off to get her clothes and off to the bathroom she went._

"Hey hey, don't tell me you managed to record footage on her showering, Lea-chan…"

"Ufufufufu~ What if I said I did?" Lea smirked naughtily at Misaki who was sitting right beside her.

"Y-You…!"

"S-Shh! Concentrate…!"

"Kei-chan's perverted~ hahahaha!" commented Len on how Keiichi was concentrating for all the wrong things.

Surena facepalmed, "Ugh. Men."

_Aki slowly took off her clothes and due to the author being unable to actually express the whole process due to the whole scene actually being "censored", the author will stop here._

_Then as the shower tap was switched on, Aki was humming to a tune as she enjoyed her shower as the water continuously sprayed at her relaxingly._

"Wow… Kushiro-san's definitely a looker! As expected of one of the beauties in this whole school! Don't you think so, Kei-cha-"

Keiichi was already dead flat; with his face all red after seeing all that.

"Ahahahaha…" Len scratched the back of his head with a wry grin.

_. . . . . . . . . . _

_The next scene was to when they were having dinner,_

"_Okinomiyaki huh… did you follow a cook book or something, Misaki?"_

_Misaki nodded, "Yeah of course! I studied a lot while you were showering. I hope it tastes good though…"_

_Aki took hold of her chopsticks, "Well then, let's see," she cut a portion of the large okinomiyaki and placed it onto her plate, "Thanks for the food."_

_As Aki was chewing on her portion of okinomiyaki, Misaki couldn't help but stare at her best friend with eager dark red orbs._

"_S-So…? How is it…?"_

"_Hmm… the form is definitely there but you kinda lack the taste. There is taste but it isn't exactly salty enough. But good try, Misaki. A lot better than my first time as you can recall," Aki smiled at Misaki, who then happily took her own portion._

"_Hahaha thanks! Well then, I'm digging in as well!"_

"_Hey, hey! Don't go mess up the table!"_

"I didn't know you cook, Misaki…" asked Surena in surprise.

"What. Is it THAT surprising?" Misaki pouted with a slight blush forming on her face.

"I wanna try Misa-chuan's cooking too!" Lea pleaded in a cute way.

_. . . . . . . . . ._

_Now for the final scene, Aki was seen finishing her studies and takes off her glasses. _

"_Alright… time for bed…" She stretches at her seat and yawns before getting up and diving straight onto her bed._

_She then proceeded to switching off her bedside light and drifted off to deep sleep almost immediately._

_The rest of the video was focusing on Aki's sleeping face, which was innocent-looking and had that out of character sweet smile that was rare to find in the day. She looked so much more vulnerable in her sleep than any other time._

_. . . . . . . . . . _

Recording ends.

"T-That sleeping face…" Misaki said, chuckling, "Great work Lea-chan!"

"Hehehe~ Told ya you could leave it to me!"

Surena crosses her arms, "This was pointless to me…"

"You enjoyed it all the way didn't 'cha, Kei-chan?" Len grinned.

"O-Of course not. B-But… I would like to make a purchase… Kisaragi-san…" Keiichi said shyly and softly.

"No problemo~"

"If Aki knew about you, I'm sure she'd reject you straight away, Sugisaki…" Misaki shook her head, as if trying to convict him as a pervert.

"D-Don't make it sound that way, Shishido-san! A… ACHOO!" And~ he sneezed again.

"Well, it's about time we leave. I think everyone should get a good rest after school today and prep for tomorrow," advised Misaki with a smile, "Thanks for the help in advance…"

"Hmph. That's right, you should be thanking us…" Surena was pouting and tilted her head to the other side with a smile.

"Awww no need to be so formal! We'll always be there to help out! We're friends after all~!" Lea swung an arm over Misaki's shoulder in which the latter smiled.

Len and Keiichi smiled at Misaki too.

"Leave the food to us! We're gonna get all the high classed food for her party tomorrow, you can count on that!" He then jabbed Keiichi at the waist with his shoulder lightly, "Right? Kei-chan?"

Keiichi nodded and coughed, "… I pray there won't be any screw-ups tomorrow, Shishido-san."

"I'm sure there won't. I'm sure of it."

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After school…

Misaki and Aki did walk home together but there was a sense of awkwardness and the two did not talk to each other at all.

At their dorm room, one head straight to her room while the other got ready for dinner as it was her routinely work after coming home from school.

The one in the kitchen sighed and as she got ready the ingredients, she paused whatever she was doing at the moment and looked towards a certain red head's room.

"… Maybe I should apologize… but…"

While the latter in her room, sitting on her bed looking at both her hands said softly to herself.

"… I suppose I should apologize to Aki… I was kinda rash to do that after all…"

And as a drop of water from the water tap dripped into sink as if it was their queue, Misaki, who was opened the door and Aki, who was right outside her door, about to knock, both said the said thing to each other at the same time and bowed at the same time.

"I'm very sorry about today!"

And as they bowed, their foreheads hit one another and both of them did the same rubbing gesture out of pain.

"Aki…"

"M-Misaki…. You…"

A brief moment of grey orbs and dark red orbs staring at each other before both started bursting out with laughter. It was as if their hearts and minds were connected to one another and knew that they should've said sorry. They both anticipated what the latter would do in situations like these and managed to quickly make up.

Aki, wiping her so-called tears after laughing too much suddenly said to Misaki, "Alright go take your shower. Dinner will be ready in a few. It's your favourite tonight," she winked at her.

"R-Really?" Misaki asked, cheerfully, "Then I'm off to shower~!"

So Misaki stormed off to the bathroom with her change of clothes and Aki went back to the kitchen, both with a bright smiling face.

That's right.

The bonds between best friends are just like that.

They'll grow stronger after each fight or argument and gradually both sides will understand each other more and more.

Though there may be many heart-wrenching moments.

But they are all essential for the growth of the heart, and not forgetting, bonds.

Life is not a bed of roses after all.

These two definitely know that.

And their friendship will last forever, no matter what.

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Finally.

The big day has come.

In the next chapter, will the whole surprise party go on smoothly? Or will there be problems?

Find out in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

So like, I was actually done with this a few weeks earlier but I just didn't have the time to post it up here so... here's the next chapter! Hope you all like it!

* * *

**A Certain Memorable Surprise Party**

**#5: Happy Birthday, Aki! (Part 1)**

And so… the day has come…

During classes, Misaki would occasionally shoot glances at Aki in which the latter didn't notice due to her immense concentration during lessons. As obvious as it is, Lea couldn't help but sigh.

"Oi oi Misa-chan… you're gonna let the cat out of the bag soon~…" Lea said softly to herself before throwing a scrunched up paper ball at Misaki while the teacher had her back turned.

"Oww…" It made Misaki at her surroundings quite frantically until she saw Lea's hand signs that transmitted to signals to 'not be so obvious' to her brain. Misaki just nodded silently and picked up the paper ball with a sigh. Aki, for a split second, noticed Misaki's strange behavior but as usual, didn't pay much to mind thanks to the class that was going on right now.

Lunch breaks returned back to normal for some reasons for Aki as Misaki was able to follow her around which made her pretty happy.

"The whole surprise birthday thing must have failed huh…" she speaks softly to herself.

Misaki looked at her with curious eyes, "Eh? You said something Aki?"

Aki shook her head and smiled wryly, "O-Oh uh… it's nothing."

"Huh…"

Out of the blue, Akihiko popped out of nowhere from behind and patted their heads with a smile.

They both turned back but only Misaki was the one, who jumped, blush and stepped away quickly. Aki just looked blankly at Akihiko and greeted him nonchalantly.

"Good afternoon to you two. Guess you both are finally enjoying your lunch breaks with each other now eh?" Akihiko said with a grin, "That said," he regarded to Misaki, "You're pretty sensitive."

"A-A-Am not! You just caught me by surprise! Even Aki would've surprised me if she done that all of a sudden!" Misaki pouted with the blush still present on her cheeks.

"Right right…" said Akihiko, still amused at how Misaki reacted, "Anyways, Cousin? Are you free after school today?"

Aki glances over at Misaki before answering, "… I don't think I have anything on. What's up?"

"Well, I just want a companion to follow me around as I do grocery shopping. You know that I live alone right?"

"Yeah…? And your point is?"

"I've been tired of having instants almost every—"

"YOU WHAT?" exclaimed Aki loudly that some students passing through the hallway their talking in jumped for a moment and looked towards their direction. Misaki was shocked too. Aki doesn't randomly raise her voice like that. So she thought Akihiko must have struck a nerve somehow.

"We. Are. Going. To. The. Grocers. After. School," she glared at Akihiko before turning to Misaki with a sudden sweet smile and some sparkly aura surrounding her, "Misaki-chan? Do you mind if you prepare dinner tonight?"

"_Chan_?" asked Misaki in her head with her eyebrow twitching followed by a sigh, "R-Right… sure…"

"Well then, I'm heading back to class~… See you later Misaki-chan~" the long haired brunette said as she frolicked happily to her class which made Misaki stare at her best friend with unimpressed eyes and Akihiko, whispered softly to Misaki from behind.

"She's most sensitive when it comes to unhealthy food… All is going accordingly to plan."

"Eeek!" Misaki shrieked and jumped forward. She looked at Akihiko, covering the ear he whispered into, "O-Okay great! But you didn't have to do that!"

Akihiko chuckled in amusement, "You amuse me, Misaki Shishido. Guess you should head back to class as well. And do help return my Cousin's conscience back to normal."

"S-Sure…" Misaki shrugged, "You think… this is gonna work out?"

"With a best friend like you who would stress herself out and go to great lengths for this, It's obvious it'll work out," he winked as he encouraged Misaki, in which the latter smiled back with a faint blush forming on her cheeks.

"Thanks… for the encouragement…"

"No problem."

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The day before, it was quite late at night and Aki was most probably sleeping soundly by now, so Misaki turned on her laptop and decided to Skype with her organizing members who were already waiting for Misaki as asked to by her at school.

"Where were you? We were waiting for you like… forever," Surena pouted followed by a yawn.

"S-Sorry… had to wait till Aki's pretty much asleep… wouldn't want her to overhear our conversation right…?" Misaki apologized somberly.

"No worries Misa-chuan~. So? What's the briefing all about?" Lea said energetically, with a few porn magazines stacked beside her in view through the webcam.

"Umm well… how's everything on your end, Surena?"

"Like I already told you. No changes whatsoever," Surena smiled.

"Umm… Lea-chan…?"

"Well… Aki didn't do anything interesting… but there's eyecandy so meh. I'm happy," she grinned, "But she does write her diary before she sleeps. I've read her recent contents so far~…" She giggled sheepishly with her fingertips to her lips.

"You read her diary? I-Isn't that something private?" exclaimed Misaki who quickly put a hand to her mouth.

Lea shrugged, "Yeah but… it was recorded on my spy cam. It was unavoidable~."

Misaki facepalmed, "… Moving on…"

Lea stopped Misaki and pleaded, "Wait wait! I haven't finished!"

"… Yes?"

"The video recording has been completed and the video production is under way~"

"Alright great," She turned to Akihiko, "Kushiro-kun? What about you? You're in charge of stalling Aki during our preparation time frame… have you thought of a way to stall her?"

Akihiko nodded coolly, "As a matter of fact, yes. I'll be bringing her shopping. She's sensitive to a certain issue, so I'm very sure that she'll tag along without fail."

"… If you say so… finally… Sugisaki-kun? How's the decoration stuff going on?"

"We'll be at your place ASAP right after school. Len's working on the games and entertainment list as we speak. So no problems here," Keiichi gave a thumbs-up gesture.

The red head couldn't help but felt her heart pounding as fast as lightning. She was really excited, even though she wasn't the birthday girl, but as the main organizer of the whole party. She wanted to see that the party ends in a success. As long as Aki is happy, the latter would be satisfied.

"Thanks a lot you guys. I'm sure tomorrow will turn out great!" Misaki thanked them and assured their success.

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"I'm off then~. Don't go destroying the kitchen, okay~?" says Aki to Misaki, who in return gave her an annoyed look.

"… You're still in your 'Food Ballistic' mode…?" Misaki sighs, "… Of course I won't. And cut it out already, you're gonna give people a different impression of you sooner or later…" Misaki pats her shoulder with a wry smile.

Aki smiles back to Misaki without before leaving the classroom. The redhead sighed and shrugged before heading out of the classroom and right back to the dorm.

At the dorm, the dorm advisor, Rikku Watsuko, was at the entrance, with a broom in her hand looking rather agitated.

"Watsuko-san? What's wrong?" queried Misaki to quench her curiosity.

Rikku looked at her with a smile, "Hello Shishido. Well you see… there's been a student report for seeing weird-looking people hanging around the dorm area today," she paused to lighten the grip on her broom before continuing, "They were reported to be wearing some organization's uniform."

Misaki's gaze suddenly turned serious, "What did you just say…?"

"Weird-looking people around these parts?"

"After that…!"

"They were wearing some organization's uniform. If you were to ask me for details, I don't really know. I was just told by one of the students living here," Rikku scratched the back of her head.

Misaki cupped her chin and looked rather serious at that time, "… Do you know the girl who told you that?"

Rikku nodded, "Yeah. It was Hikaru. Nao Hikaru."

"Nao… huh… sounds rather familiar…" She scratches the back of her head, "… Or maybe it's just me…"

Rikku lifted her broom and pointed the end of the broom towards the entrance, "At any rate, I'm going to protect this place with my life! I'm the dorm advisor after all…!" she winks, "But if you're free to help me out with your kendo abilities, please do."

Misaki smiled sheepishly at Rikku, "Y-Yeah okay… sure…"

Right when she got to her room, Keiichi and Len were found running together towards the best friend duo's room. They had the decorations in hand with Len having oh so obvious eyebags under his eyes. He must have stayed up till pretty late. Keiichi on the other hand, came with a big smile on his face.

"Yo Shishido. Just in time, eh?"

"Sugisaki-kun… Saionji-kun… thanks for coming," Misaki smiled back.

"Guess we should get the show on the road before Aki returns huh?" Keiichi made a gesture to show Misaki his bag of decorations which immediately made her understand.

"Alright. Let's do it!" Misaki says energetically before turning back to open the door, "But first… what's up with Saionji-kun? He hasn't spoken a word since you both got here."

Keiichi smirked,"He's still in a daze. He was up till pretty late last night."

Misaki pushed open the door and gave them a welcoming gesture, "I… see… thanks for all the hard work, Saionji-kun," she smiled warmly at him.

"… Sure… but not only that… my brother is coming later and… it's rare that he would attend such a thing… I'm still… in a state of shock."

"Wait what…? You mean… Lance is coming?" asked Misaki, eyes starting to look uneasy and her body, starting to get goose bumps.

"Oh right… you had some 'history' with that dude eh, Shishido?"

"M-Mind your own business, Kei-chan," Misaki hurriedly went off to sort up the things in the living room, "… Anyways, let's hurry. We don't have much time till Aki's 'ballistic' mode ends…"

The two curious boys stopped doing their task at hand for a moment asked in unison, "'Food Ballistic' mode?"

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At the nearby groceries shop… Aki was busy selecting 'healthy' food for Akihiko while the latter just walked around in circles near Aki. She was still in her 'Food Ballistic' mode and according to Akihiko, it's only after she pays at the cashier and feels satisfied will she only be able to snap out of it completely. As he looked at his watch, as long as she doesn't go to the cashier immediately, Misaki and the others who are preparing at the moment will have a longer time.

He had to keep stalling her until his phone that was in his pocket, vibrated, signaling that they are all done and that everyone is there, hiding in their designated area.

He just had to wait.

"So you'll be needing all three colours of fresh capricorns… and these fresh mushrooms and…"

Akihiko cut her off with a wry smile on his face, "W-Why are you getting that much…? Cousin…?"

In the trolley Aki is using, is a full stack load of things, easily amounting to a whole year or more of instant food. She was dead serious in making her cousin healthy, or at least, her 'food ballistic' mode is.

Her eyes flared with determination, "It's to make you healthy~! Of course you need this much! Also…" she now looked innocently and blankly at Akihiko, "You're paying for all of these yourself, okay~?"

"W-Wha… WHAAAAAATTTTTT?"

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"Phew… we're all done. And that was fast…"

Now Misaki, Keiichi and Len were relaxing on the sofa and sighed in relief and satisfaction at the room they decorated finely. Balloons, confetti, any decoration that a party would have were seen that made the room look rather colourful and jolly.

The redhead sits upright, "Do you want me to get something to drink?"

"Yes please~…" The two boys requested in unison.

"Right~ right… coming up…"

As she got to the kitchen, the room phone started to ring and she ran to get it. Only to hear it was Rikku who called her.

"Shishido! Get down here fast! These organization people are really stubborn and won't go away till they see you! That said… they might even start a fight amongst themselves…"

"H-Huh?" Misaki clenched her free fist and glared at the wall in front of her, "… Understood. Will be right down."

She hung up right after and went into her own personal room, looking for a pen look-a-like thing and since there was a neck strap attached to the pen, she hung it around her neck and stormed out of the room and to the entrance.

Keiichi looked towards Misaki after hearing her loud footsteps, "Where is my wat-… Shishido? Where are you going?"

"Going out to meet the dorm advisor for a bit. I have bad company," Misaki turned back to Keiichi, "The water is over there and the cups are in the cupboard on top. Sorry but you'll have to get it yourself," She opened the entrance door, "See you later!"

And the door was closed and locked before he could answer.

"E-Eh?"

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At the entrance of the dorm, there were a few people at the entrance in full uniform and right before one of them was about to lay hands on Rikku, Misaki stepped in and pushed Rikku right behind her, with her arms wide open to protect her.

She gave a threatening glare, "What is it you… want…" Her glare eased up and turned into a blank stare when she looked at who was in front of her.

"Hello there Misaki. Long time no see. Looks like you're as fiery as ever, which is a good thing," the man gave a light laugh.

"Wait wait wait… Shishido? You know them?"

"… U-Uh… well… yeah, sort of," Misaki looks back at Rikku with an apologetic smile, "S-Sorry… I think they're just here to attend Aki's surprise party."

Rikku lightened the grip on her broom once again, "Aww… you should have told me earlier!"

"S-Sorry…" Misaki bowed as an apology.

"It's fine, it's fine. Though… don't be too loud kay? If it disrupts your neighbours I will have to stop you guys, you hear me?" Rikku advised.

"Okay…" Now she turns towards the people who came, "Well, come with me."

They headed towards Misaki and Aki's room as they rode the elevator and walked through the aisle that leads to their room. Room 412.

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"Thank you for your purchase. Please come again."

"Great… we're finally done shopping… hmm?"

"… You just killed me, you know that, Cousin?"

Aki and Akihiko just finished their grocery shopping.

Aki pouted, "It's your fault… you shouldn't have talked about unhealthy food with me. You know how sensitive I am towards that matter and…" She looked rather annoyed now, "… It was pretty embarrassing… I'm sure a lot of people at school who saw me like this have a different impression of me now…" She clenches her fist before continuing, "Why didn't Misaki do anything to snap me out of it?"

"I'm sure she did. At least told you to. But you just wouldn't listen…" Akihiko shrugged.

Aki pouted and felt embarrassed at herself, "… Guess this is what they call 'Out Of Character' in the world of fan fiction huh…"

"Don't beat yourself up too much, Cuz…" He comforted her but she just sighed.

"… _Shishido… hurry up… please… I don't think I can stall her any longer…" _Akihiko thought to himself, but it was as if he wanted to get the message over to Misaki through telepathy.

"…?" Aki noticed a strain that was on Akihiko's face, "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," he shrugged it off, "Anywhere else you wanna go to?"

"Nope. Just wanna go home right now. I mean, even if we were to go shopping, your hands are full. So are mine," she gestured to show him the bags and bags of groceries in her hand at the moment.

"… That's true…" Akihiko smiled wryly, "Let's take the long route back to the dorm, there's a place I have to go to through there."

Aki was actually suspicious of her cousin's movements but again, decided not to pay much to mind, "… Okay."

_**End of Part 1.**_


	6. Chapter 6 FINAL

The grand but abrupt finale! I'll find a time where I can elaborate more on parts that can be elaborated but for now, please do enjoy the finale of one of my latest 'works'! I thank you all for reading and hoped you really enjoyed it! Please do R & R as well! :)

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**A Certain Memorable Surprise Party**

**#5: Happy Birthday, Aki! (Part 2 –FINAL–)**

"_We're returning soon. Real soon. If you guys still aren't prepared, I think you should quicken the pace."_

_Click_.

"Akihiko…?"

"Oh umm what is it?"

The boy abruptly stashed his hand phone into his pocket and turned to Aki with a smile on his face.

"… So why are we using the long route back again?" asked Aki curiously.

He then turned to the winding road that they were just following and pointed at a shop, it was an instrument shop that had a few posters of instrument brands like Gibson and Fender that were pasted on the mailbox right outside the store.

"That store. I need to get a new tuner for my bass," he looked at his cousin while scratching his cheek, "… Is that okay with you?"

His cousin only nodded silently in reply as they both went towards the store.

Akihiko was trying his very best to stall Aki as long as he could until he receives the signal from Misaki. He just had to hope that Misaki and the others could be done by the time they are back and that Aki, who actually already realizes her cousin's abnormal behavior, would not suspect a thing.

Time was of the essence.

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_Beep_.

"_Understood. We're almost done, I'll 'send the flare' right away after we're done!"_

Now the normal but cozy and prestige-looking Room 412 looked so much more colourful and lively. There was a banner hanging up on the ceiling that says "Happy Birthday, Aki!" with lots of hand drawn drawings and signatures of people who took part in the party scribbled on it. Then there were confetti and balloons hanging on a few parts and corners of the wall in the room that really brightened it up and had that 'party' feel. There were also plates of food laid out on the dining table to boot but as for the cake, it was still in the fridge.

Just like planned, 20 people were currently in the room, and were waiting patiently and excitedly for the birthday girl to arrive.

"So~? What now, Misa-chuan~?" asked Lea eagerly.

Misaki cupped her chin as she looked around her surroundings, "I think we're more or less ready," she looked seriously at Lea, "I think it's time to brief them about their hiding spot. Mind if you gather everyone's attention?"

Lea replied with a perverted smile on her face and a shiver to her body, "Ahh~ Serious Misaki is lovely too~! Maniac~!"

The latter just shrugged and gave Lea the unimpressed look before diverting everyone's attention to her by herself since Lea was definitely hopeless now as she's in her so-called 'fangirl' mode.

The red head stood in the very front of the living room, with the LED Television behind her back and 18 people, since Lea was still in her trance at the time at the side, right in front of her. Sitting down quietly and staring blankly at Misaki to see what she had to say.

"Umm… hello everyone… I… thank you guys for coming… if you guys didn't come, I don't think this whole party thing would work out… really," said Misaki with a soft tone of voice while playing with her fingers and looking nervously at everyone in front of her. She was never used to giving serious speeches like now.

"Oi oi, Shishido-chan! You sound like the birthday girl now!" Len laughed and the others joined in shortly after which made the redhead even shyer as she continued.

She pouted, "W-Well so~rry…" She briefly sighed before continuing and dropping the shy act, "… Anyways, they'll be back soon so I guess I'll briefly explain how everything goes."

Now all was quietly.

Maybe if you drop a needle, you could hear it fall.

Well maybe not THAT quiet to that extent but…

It was really quiet after everyone settled down and listened attentively to the speaker in front of them.

"They'll be back in a few more minutes. And so, I would like all of you to hide at somewhere first. Then on my signal, will all of you then jump out to surprise her. As for my signal, I'll yell out her name or something right in front of her face," said Misaki, kind of uncertain what she would use as a signal.

"So where's the hiding place, Misaki?" Surena asked, with her arms crossed and her back lying comfortably on the sofa.

"Well… the store room for the girls and right behind the curved island at the kitchen over there. I've switched on the air-conditioner in the store room so it'll be pretty cool, no worries there. As for the guys, not one of you will make a sound since the area you'll be hiding at is pretty… obvious, as you might have realized."

Everyone just replied a nod and some with an "Okay.".

Misaki shrugged and looked at everyone with a smile, "Let's do our best…! Alright, so everyone, to your hiding spots!"

And so, everyone cooperated in the whole hiding gist and hid at their respective areas. The girls were doing fine in the store room and the guys were trying their best to squeeze behind and around the island as to not reveal any parts of their body that would abolish the whole surprise.

"Alright," said Misaki in relief with both hands to her waist, "Everyone's ready…"

"_We're done."_

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_Beep._

"… Just in time." The Aki-resembled boy said softly to himself smiled at his phone as he looked towards the hallway of Aki and Misaki's room.

"I wonder what Misaki has cooked up for dinner… I'm really curious…" Aki put a finger to her chin.

"Must be something you'll like. A lot."

"And you're certain of that?"

"Yeah."

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As they arrived in front of Room 412, Aki took a card from her school bag and swiped it swiftly through a small and long indent right beside the door's handle. It was like the locks at hotels.

And when they got in, all they saw was Misaki right in front of the entrance, with her hands to her back, right after the area where they usually would put their shoes.

"Yo. Welcome home. Akihiko-kun too," Misaki gave them both a really giddy smile.

"I'm back, Misaki. What's the occasion? You wouldn't usually welcome me as formal as this…" asked Aki suspiciously while putting her shoes back to the rack.

"Hehe…" She gave a deep breath, "AKI KUSHIRO!"

All of a sudden, everyone charged out of their hiding spot to welcome Aki and wished her happy birthday which made Aki let go of whatever she was holding at the time and shocked her till the point her face almost changed colour.

She was happy. Definitely. But didn't know how to express it.

"… Hehe… surprised…?" asked Misaki with a grin.

"… Y-You…"

She stormed off pass them while looking at the floor and looked around the room. There were food on the dining table and decorations around the room. Something that she doesn't see everyday and she turned back to them all, with an apologetic smile on her face as she bowed abruptly.

"… I…. I sincerely apologize if Misaki has been a bother to all of you. I'm sure this was pretty selfish of me to want something like this at this time of age."

"Hey hey, Aki-chan~ you're supposed to say 'Thank You' instead of 'Sorry'…" said Lea who swung her arms behind her head and following her were smiles from everyone else.

"… Kisaragi… you're right… thank… you."

"Alright~! Food time!" exclaimed Lea out of the blue and the others, especially the boys, followed suit.

They all waited for Aki to take her food before anyone were to touch them with the latter actually embarrassed for the first time about such a thing. The boys took them second since the girls were of the majority in the room as of now and with the promptly made up 'Guys first' rule which they couldn't retaliate.

As usual in parties,, mingling amongst the people and with the birthday girl was ongoing right now as they had their food while Misaki was leaning against the wall that was near the rooms with a warm smile on her face and her camera hanging around her neck.

"You ain't having anything?" asked Akihiko with a plate of food in his hands.

Misaki shook her head politely, "I'll get my portion if there are leftovers. Right now, photos are important… and well, I'm the organizer so… I have to check on everything, right?"

"How very responsible of you. So what's next?" asked Akihiko before putting a spoonful of macaroni salad in his mouth.

"Games… presents giving… birthday cake… then the day ends."

He swallows before replying, "I see. Well…" He places his spoon on the plate and puts his free hand on Misaki's shoulder, "Thanks for all the hard work in advance."

The latter blushes and looks away immediately after she realizes that, "… I-It was nothing… t-thanks for stalling her as long as you did as well… it really… helped."

The boy let go and smiled before walking off towards the group of boys who were busy talking and leaving Misaki alone near the wall again with a delighted smile on her face, seeing Aki occupied with so many friends which she doesn't see often.

After having their food, they had a sports competition and even a Tetris competition on the Wii which everyone participated to show their support and they enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Everyone made weird movements while playing that was followed by weird comments and laughter and chatter could be heard resounding throughout the whole room. People in-charge of photography like Misaki were having loads of fun capturing the moments.

Yes, to simple put it, it was lively.

VERY lively.

The birthday girl couldn't help but had that smile on her face, something she wouldn't show often and as long as she was doing now.

"Hello~? Misa-chuan~… I know how dazzling Aki looks with that smile, but please look here for a second, please~?" Lea called out to Misaki.

"H-Huh? W-What is it?" Misaki was brought back to earth without noticing she was actually staring in awe of how cute Aki was at that time even to the point where a slight blush was present on her cheeks.

"Well~… the cake's here," says Lea while gesturing to the box of cake in front of her, "Should we take it out here or keep it in the box till we get in front of Aki?"

"I think the second choice is much better," said Misaki with her arms crossed.

"Okay! Oh look, they're already starting the presents giving ceremony~," she gestures again over the island and to the group of people who were already in line to give Aki her present as planned with Keiichi and Len handling the crowd to smoothen the process.

After a while, Len gave a thumbs-up signal with a grin to Lea and Keiichi ran off to switch off the lights. Lea and Misaki nodded to each other and brought the cake out with the lit candles on it while everyone sang the birthday song. It was truly touching to Aki since she hasn't experienced this in a very long time.

After the song ended, everyone urged her to make her three wishes that was a customary ritual in birthdays so she did so with her hands clasped tightly to each other and her eyes closed. It was like she was praying. Everyone was waiting quietly and patiently for her before she suddenly opened her eyes and blew out the flames on the candles before her and cut the cake with the knife she was given that followed by everyone's applause.

Clicks of cameras could be heard too.

Surena was in-charge of the cake distribution and insisted that Aki relax and let her do the work with some of the other girls helping out. Aki just laid back on the sofa, feeling guilty, but her cousin went right beside her and reassured her to not feel that way.

Time passes by when you're having fun and it was already getting pretty late and for dorm stayers, it was near their curfew. So everyone had to leave after wishing Aki happy birthday once more and thanking Misaki for inviting them to enjoy this whole experience. Before each of them left, Misaki took a photo of Aki and whoever was leaving as a memory.

With everyone gone, the house was back to quiet and peaceful once again.

"… Well… guess that's it huh…" Misaki turns to Aki who was weirdly looking towards the floor, "… U-Uh… I'll clean the dishes. Since I kind of imposed the whole thing today so…"

Out of the blue, Aki embraced Misaki tightly with a grateful smile on her face, which Misaki wasn't able to see. But the latter's heart skipped a beat when she heard the following words.

"Thank you."

It's not that Aki doesn't thank her, but she doesn't always say thank you without the word "idiot" or without actual sincerity.

That was what took the redhead by surprise and felt all warm inside.

"… I-It was nothing… don't mention it. S-Sorry I wasn't able to celebrate it on your birthday itself…"

"No… this was more than enough. I really… am grateful towards you… thank you very much… for allowing me to have this wonderful experience…" Aki broke the embrace and stared into Misaki eyes with a smile and a slight blush that formed on her cheeks that made the latter look away in embarrassment.

Aki stretched and looked towards the presents stacked at the living room, "Well… I'll leave the dishes to you. Good luck on them~."

Misaki shrugged and sighed but a smile formed shortly after, "Yes ma'am…"

And since it was the 31st of March, they enjoyed the whole earth hour 'phenomenon' that was going on at the time after Aki had opened her presents. Aki was never good with the dark so Misaki had not much of a choice to sit right beside her with her presents on her other side

With that, all's well, end's well.

_**END.**_

Once again.

Happy birthday!

And hope that we can be best friends forever.

Yours sincerely.

'Misaki'.


End file.
